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Bulldogs among draft winners

Gold Coast

The Western Bulldogs shape as winners in the AFL national draft, with an unexpected slider and another player they feel slipped under the radar complementing their early picks.

There were no major surprises when the Dogs, who already had father-son pick Lachie Hunter locked in at selection No.49, pounced on tough, highly-rated key forward Jake Stringer at No.5 and creative midfielder Jackson Macrae at No.6.

Stringer took some thought after sitting out 2011 with a broken leg, but the Dogs are confident that won't cause future issues.

But it was lower in the draft order where they found some potential bargains.

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They snared tenacious inside midfielder Nathan Hrovat at No.21, after it had been tipped the 175cm Victorian could be taken by North Melbourne six spots earlier.